Hay gatherer and loader.



I E. LOVELADY. HAY GATHERER AND LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, 1908.

Patented May 18, 1909;

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E. LOVELADY.

'HAY (manna AND LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, 1908. 922,301 Patented May 18, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD LOVELADY, OF SALMON FALLS, OREGON.

HAY GATHERER ANnLoAnnR.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWARD LOVELADY, citizen of the United States,residing at Salmon Falls, in the State of Oregon, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Hay Gatherers and Loaders, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is especially designed forgathering hay after it has been cut, and loading it upon wagons orvehicles for transporation.

It consists in the combination of parts, and in details of constructionwhich will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of gatherer. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation, sectioned on line of Fig. 1.

In the usual methods of gathering and transporting hay which has beencut and left lying broadcast upon the ground, various operations areneeded to first collect it into windrows or heaps, and afterward to loadit for transportation; these operations necessi tating a considerableforce of employeesand a corresponding length of time to complete thework. a single traveling apparatus which is designed to gather the hay,and to automatical y transfer it to the wagons or vehicles upon which itis to be carried away.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, A is a suitably constructed framehaving bearing-wheels 2, a pole 3 extending from the rear of the frameto which its front end is hinged, a steering-wheel 4 swiveled at therear of the pole, and a draft bar 5 for the attachment of a suitableteam by which the machine may be propelled.

6 is a lever fulcrumed from the rear of the frame A as shown at 7, andhaving its front end pivoted to a portion of the frame intermediatebetween the rear and front so that by raising and lowering this lever,the main frame may be tilted upon its bearing-wheels to raise or depressthe front as will be hereafter described. This ortion of the apparatusis not essentially different from what is lrnown as a header employedfor gatherin grain.

In my invention I have shown a series of long teeth 8 firmly fixed tothe longitudinal and front cross timbers of the main frame. I have hereshown the main longitudinal timbers A as being extended to aconsiderable distance in front of the front cross tim- Specification ofLetters Patent.

' Application filed July 14,

In my invention I have provided Patented Ma is, 1909.

1908. Serial No. 443,406.

her a of the main frame, and the teeth 8 are bolted to these extensions,the rear ends of the teeth abutting the said front cross timber of themain frame, and the front ends being gradually tapered and extendingseveral feet to the front. These teeth are sufficiently close togetherto form an open platform capable of receiving and holding a body of haywhich is gathered by causing the machine to be moved so that the teethwill, in passing over the ground, lift up the hay lying thereon, anddeposit it upon the upper surfaces of the teeth 8. In this manner, alarge body amounting to as much as 1500 lbs. of hay, maybe collected andcarried along for any required distance, so that if the wagons uponwhich the hay is to be loaded, are not present, the hay can be retainedupon this portion of the machine until such time as the wagons areavailable.

In order to transfer the hay to the wagons, I have shown a transverselytraveling belt or draper 9 passing over a suitable drum at the outerend, and between guides 10 where the belt turns and makes an upwardangle of travel in the spout 11 which is hinged to the side of the mainframe, and in the line of travel of the draper. A drum at the upper endof the spout serves to direct this portion of the endless belt so thatit will travel continuously when properly driven; and the hay is movedfrom the fingers 8 upon the belt 9 by means of a reel B journaled at thefront of the machine and above the rear ends of the fingers. This reelbeing revolved at pleasure so as to remove the hay from the fingers anddeposit it upon the belt 9, which belt being caused to travel at thesame time will carry the hay up through the spout 11 and deposit it upona wagon or vehicle which is driven and caused to travel beneath thedischarge end of the spout.

When the wagon is loaded and driven away, and between its leaving andthe arrival of another wagon, the loading apparatus may be stopped whilethe machine continues and gathers the hay upon the fingers 8, aspreviously described. I am thus enabled to accurately control thehandling of the hay without stopping the travel of the machine.

The draper or carryingbelt may be driven in any suitable manner from thebearingwheels 2 through the medium of ulleys 12, a shaft 13 andintermeshing beve ed gearing 14. This gearing is driven from a shaft 15journaled upon the rear portion of the frame A, and having pulleys 16around which pass belts 17 from corresponding wheels 18 carried upon theournalshafts of the bearingwheels so that as the machine is propelledthe power will be transmitted through the above named agencies to drivethe carrying belt.

In order to control the movement of the belt and to arrest it at will,the shaft 15 is made slidable in its journal-boxes, and by means of asuitable lever L or equivalent mechanism, this shaft may be movedlongitudinally until the bevel-gears 1 1 are disengaged, when thecarrying-belt or draper will stop.

The gears are normally held in mesh by means of springs 19 actingbetween. the journal-boxes of the shaft, and suitable collars or pulleysupon. the shaft, so that the gears may normally be maintained inengagement by the action of the spring, and they may be thrown out ofmesh by means, previously mentioned, by which the shaft is moved, andthe springs compressed.

In order to allow the machine to turn freely, the bearing-wheels arejournaled independently at each side of the frame. The shaft 15 isprovided with suitable clutches 21 so disposed that when in turning themachine, one bearing-wheel will travel faster than the other, theclutches will yield so that while the shaft is continuously driven, itnovides a differential movement which al ows one wheel to be drivenindependent of and faster than the other.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. An apparatus for gathering hay, said apparatuscomprising a Wheeled frame, means for raising and lowering the frontthereof, said frame having a cross timber and longitudinal timbersextending forwardly thereof, and supplemental fingers extendingforwardly of said longitudinal timbers and having their rear endsabutting against said cross-timbers.

2. An apparatus for gathering and loading hay, said apparatus comprisinga wheeled. frame, means for raising and lowering the front thereof,longitudinal timbers fixed to the main frame and extending forwardlytherefrom, lingers extending forwardly from the frame timber extensionsand secured thereto, means on the main frame against which the rear endsof the fingers abut, a belt and. means by which it is caused to traveltransversely at the rear of the fingers, means for transferring the hayfrom the fingers to the belt, and means by which the travel of the beltmay be maintained or arrested.

3. In an apparatus for gathering and loading hay, the combination of amain wheeled frame, means for steering and for tilting the frame aboutthe wheel base, a platform consisting of longitudinal timbers fixed tothe main frame and extending forwardly therefrom, supplemental taperingfingers extending forwardly from the main timber extensions and securedthereto, means forming an end abutment for said fingers, an endlesstransversely traveling belt contiguous to the rear ends of the fingers,at revoluble reel journaled above the fingers and adapted to transferthe hay therefrom to the belt, means by which the carrying belt isdriven in unison with the movement of the bearing wheels, and mechanismby which the belt-driving means may be disengaged to arrest the movementof the belt.

4. An apparatus for gathering hay, said apparatus consisting of a mainframe, independently journaled bearing-wheels at each side thereof, arearwardly extending pole with steering-Wheel, and means for connectingthe power to advance the machine, longitudinal timbers fixed to the mainframe, and extending forwardly therefrom, supplemental tapering fingersextending forwardly from the frame timber extensions and securedthereto, said fingers abutting against the front cross timber of themain frame, a transversely traveling belt, and a reel by which the haymay be transferred from the finger platform to the traveling belt.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ED'WARD LOVELADY.

Witnesses GEO. H. STRONG, CHARLES EDELMAN.

